Method of forming staples.



L. B; GERARD.

METHOD or FORMING .STAPL ES. APP|.|CATION FILED MAY [8; 1915- Tm: COLUMBIA PMNOGRAPH (10., WASHINGTON, D. c.

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LOIIIS IB. GIRARD, OF LOS AN'GELES, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE GIRARD MANU- FACTURING COMPANY OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION OF CALI- FORNIA.

METHOD OF FORMING STAPLES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 23, 1916.

Original application filed February 3, 1914, Serial No. 816,151. Divided and this application filed May 18,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LOUIS B. GIRARD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of. Los Angeles and State of California, have invented a new and useful Method of Forming Staples, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the manufacture of staples for use in fastening box-sheets, or boards, or other sheets or boards, or for other purposes, and an important object of the invention is to provide for rapid and economical production of a staple which is provided with sharpened edges or points at both ends.

Another object of the invention is to provide for the manufacture of the staples in such manner that the length of the staples, and the acuteness of the points can be varied with a minimum of trouble and expense.

This application is a division of my application, filed Feb. 3, 191a, for stapling machine, Ser. No. 816,151, in which my invention is disclosed in connection with the formation and clenching of staples, the present invention relating to the formation of the staples, irrespective of any clenching operation.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the successive steps in forming the staples, and also the apparatus which may be used in performing such steps, and referring thereto:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the male die for cutting and bending the prongs of the staples. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the female die. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a form over which the staple is bent. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the female die. Figs. 5 and 6 are plan views of por-' tions of the blank strip, showing different angles of cutting thereof. Fig. 7 is a transverse section of the blank strip. Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the blank s t1ip. Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the strip with portions thereof cut for forming the prongs. Fig. 10 is a perspective view of the strip, with the prongs bent down. Fig. 11 is a perspective view of the staple. Fig. 12 is a vertical section of the dies in forming position. Fig. 13 is a section on line 13-13 in Fig. 12. Fig. 14: is a vertical sectlon of the dies in severing position. Fig. 15 is a section on line 1515 in Fig. 14.

Serial No. 28,834.

According to my invention, the staples are formed from a continuous fiat strip or ribbon 1, of metal, such as shown in Figs. 5 to 8, said strip or ribbon being of sufficient width to enable the staples to be cut so that the length of the staples extend crosswise of the strip, at any desired angle, according to the length desired for the staple. Each edge of the blank or stock strip 1 is beveled, so as to form a continuous sharpened edge, as shown at 1, this beveling of the side edges of the strip being performed at any time precedent to the cutting and forming operations hereinafter described, preferably in the manufacture of the strip itself. My method of forming the staples from such a blank strip is as follows: Cuts are made at each side of the strip, as shown at 2 in Fig. 9, adjacent to the forward edge of the strip, said cuts being parallel to said end of the strip and spaced therefrom a distance equal to the width of the staple to be formed. The cuts are of a length corresponding to the length of the prongs to be formed on the staples, and the prong portions 3 formed by such cuts are retained in connection with the body of the blank strip by an uncut portion 4 between the cuts. The prong portions 3 are then bent down at right angles to the strip, as shown in Fig. 10, and then the metal is cut along the line between the cuts 2, as indicated by the dotted line a in Fig. 10. The cuts 2 may extend at any desired angle to the sides of the strip, and the more oblique this angle, the greater will be the length of the staple. Thus staples of different length may be formed from the same strip by simply varying the angle of cutting thereof. Thus Fig. 6 shows the staple blank cut more obliquely to the length of the strip, so as to make a long staple, and Fig. 5 shows it out less obliquely, so as to make a short staple.

By beveling or sharpening the side edges of the strip 1 before the staple cutting and forming operations, I am enabled to produce a staple with sharpened points or ends, in a manner that would not be possible without this preliminary sharpening. These sharpened edges being at the sides of the strip, are at the ends of the prongs formed by the cuts at such sides, so that when the prongs are bent down the sharpened edges are presented downwardly in the direction in which the staple is to be driven into the goods or material with which it is used.

The above described method may be carried out in any suitable apparatus, for eX ample in the die means shown in Figs. 1 to 4 and 12 to these figures illustrating the die means for performing the stated operations, the mechanism for operating such die means being omitted. The female die 6 is formed with a vertical way 7, and the male die 8 is provided with cutting punches 9 adapted to enter such way and to cut the strip at each side by the members 9 engaging the strip and bending the end portions down so as to shear the same between the members 9 and 6, (this initial shearing action being represented in Fig. 9), and to immediately thereafter bend the cut portions down, said male die means 8 being guided and operated by suitable means, not shown. A form member 10 is carried by a slide 10 which is guided in a way 11 in the die me1nher 6, and is normally pressed by a spring 12 so as to receive the forward edge of the blank strip 1 in a groove 13 in said member 10. A severing member 14: is guided and operated by suitable means, not shown, so as to cut the strip for severing the staple.

The female die 6 is provided with a centering pin or guide 16, against which the edge of the strip which is further from the way 7 engages and rests, to support it during the cutting and forming operations. I have found that for any given width of strip there is a certain position of this pin which will correctly center the strip with respect to the die, irrespective of the angle at which the strip is presented to the die. This position may be found by first placing the strip perpendicularly to the front face of way 7 as shown in dotted lines at Z) in Fig. 4E, and then placing the strip in most oblique position, as shown at 0, the

or tangential to, the outer side of the strip in each of these positions. The strip 1 may be fed forward'to the die, after each staple .is cut, by any suitable means, not shown, or

by hand, being always fed forward at the proper angle to make staples of the required length. In case it is desired to change the angle of the prong tips,'for example to make them more acute, without changing ,7 the length of the staple, then a narrower strip is taken, the guide pin16 being moved accordingly, and the strip is placed more obliquely to the die. Thus the length of the prongs and the angle of the tips thereof, may be varied independently without changing the dies.

In carrying out my method in this apparatus, the strip 1 is fed forward against the front face of the way 7, so that its forward portion enters the groove 13 in member 10.

Die member 8 then descends, cutting the strip as shown at 2 in Fig. 9, and immediately thereafter,-in its descent, the punches 9 thereon bend down the prong portions of the staple, as shown in Figs. 10 and 13. The die member 141 thendescends,'as shown in Figs. 14: and 15, to sever the staple.

What I claim is: V

The method of. forming staples having oblique pointed and sharpened ends, which consists in forming a flat metal strip with a continuous sharp edge at each edge thereof, cutting said strip at eachside parallel to its end and oblique to its edges and simultaneously bending the cut portions down to form prongs having oblique sharpened'ends,

and then cutting the strip to sever the staple therefrom. V

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand, at Los Angeles, California, this 12th day of May, 1915.

LOUIS B. GIRARD.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G." 

